Prepress Designer for Print-Ready TCG Card Template System

I am developing a physical trading card game and I am looking for an experienced prepress / print-production designer to prepare the complete card layout system for professional printing. I already have a visual prototype of the card design. The current prototype shows the desired visual direction, but the source files are not clean enough for professional production. The layer structure is messy, some elements are not properly extractable, and the system needs to be rebuilt/prepared properly for print. This is not an illustration job. The card artworks already exist. I need a clean, professional, production-ready card template system and final print-ready preparation for a large database-generated card pool. Final card size: Standard TCG size: 63 × 88 mm, with proper bleed and safe areas according to printer specifications. Main goal: The final result must allow all cards to be generated and delivered as professional print-ready files. The templates and source files must be clean, consistent, editable, automation-friendly and suitable for mass generation from a database/script. Scope of work: 1. Print-ready card template system I need clean master templates for the main card types: - vertical creature cards - spell cards - reaction/trap cards - equipment cards - base cards - horizontal creature/base layouts The files must include: - standard TCG size: 63 × 88 mm - proper bleed and safe area - CMYK setup - clean editable source files - consistent and named layer structure - vector elements where needed - clean artwork masks - editable text areas and text styles - correct handling of fonts, icons, borders and production-relevant elements - printer-ready PDF or PDF/X export - production-safe layout rules for long card names and longer effect texts 2. Automation-friendly structure The cards are generated from a database/script. Therefore, the templates must be built in a clean and predictable way. Text areas, artwork masks, icons, value fields, card names, type fields and other dynamic elements must be structured so that automated card generation is possible. The goal is not to manually design every single card one by one. The goal is to create a professional template system and production workflow that can generate the complete card pool reliably. 3. Creative revision of horizontal cards The current horizontal card layouts, especially base cards and horizontal creature cards, need to be visually revised. They should feel closer to the design language of the vertical cards and look more consistent with the overall TCG style. This part requires creative design work, not only technical prepress cleanup. 4. Specific graphic adjustments I will provide a list of smaller visual adjustments for different card types and elements. These may include: - frame refinements - text box improvements - icon placement - readability improvements - contrast adjustments - layout consistency fixes - adjustment of selected graphical elements - improvements to the horizontal layouts - refinements to equipment card presentation 5. Premium / finishing layers Some cards may later have premium versions, such as: - silver title - gold title - holo artwork area - possible embossing or foil effects - serial number areas Therefore, the file structure should support separate spot-color / foil / finishing layers where required. 6. Final production preparation The final deliverables should make it possible to prepare the complete generated card set for professional printing. This includes clean templates, print-ready export structure and prepress-safe production files. Milestone structure: Milestone 1 – Production sample / approval step: Before the full system is completed, I want one representative card rebuilt and prepared properly first. This first card should demonstrate: - print-ready setup - correct size, bleed and safe area - clean layer structure - readable typography at 63 × 88 mm - proper artwork masking - consistent visual style - automation-friendly structure - optional finishing/spot layer approach if applicable Only after this first sample is approved should the rest of the work continue. Milestone 2 – Master template system: After approval of the first card, the full master template system for the different card types should be created. Milestone 3 – Horizontal card revision: The horizontal base/creature layouts should be redesigned/reworked so they visually match the vertical cards better. Milestone 4 – Final production setup: Final cleanup, template documentation, export structure and print-ready preparation for the complete card pool. Deliverables: - clean editable source files - separate reusable assets where needed - master templates for all card types - print-ready PDF/PDF-X export setup - bleed/safe area setup - CMYK setup - optional spot-color/foil/finishing layer setup - short technical documentation explaining the layer structure and export workflow - final files suitable for automated generation and professional print production Please only apply if you have experience with print production, prepress, card layouts, packaging, or similar production-ready artwork. In your application, please briefly explain: 1. How you would structure the source files for automated card generation. 2. How you would prepare separate spot-color layers for foil stamping / gold title / silver title / holo areas. 3. Which software/workflow you would use for this project. 4. Whether you have experience with trading cards, board games, packaging or other print-production projects.